Deny It
by LadyRosalie29
Summary: She tries to deny what she feels for Yuya. There was no way that she was in love with him…right?


_AN: Hey guys! I am back with another short fic, this time I wrote a fruitshipping fic. I can't decide between fruitshipping and braceletshipping! Both shippings are my favorite!_

 _ **Summary:**_ _She tries to deny what she feels for Yuya. There was no way that she was in love with him…right?_

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Deny It

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Yuzu Higari was in a predicament.

She paces around her room, trying to figure out what she really felt for her longtime childhood friend. Her hands rake through her pink tress for the hundredth time. She blew her bangs from her eyes and chews her lips.

"Agh! I just don't get it!" she screams. Yuzu plops on her bed and covers her eyes with her arms.

Yuya Sakaki is her best friend! There was no way that she could like him more than just a friend! He was like a brother to her. He knew her inside and out, knew what she likes, knew what ticks her off, knew what her schedule was like. Likewise, she knew him too. She knew when to leave him alone when he wants his space, but she also knew how to bring him back in higher spirits when he felt down. She enjoys his company when they hangout after school, seeing his warm smile makes her heart flutter.

The memory of her birthday was still vivid.

" _Happy birthday Yuzu!"_

That day, Yuya had come over to her house with a bouquet of roses (fresh, she could tell) and handed it to her, followed by a hug which caught her off guard. She was frozen on the spot not sure how to react. Was she supposed to hug him back? Was she supposed to thank him for remembering her birthday? Or was she supposed to pat on his back (but that would be wrong). When he pulled back, there was something in his crimson eyes that she had caught. It was almost as if he was looking at her with admiration which caused her to blush. He brushed her cheeks making her breath hitch.

Just what was he doing to her? Her heart was thundering loud that she was sure that Yuya could hear it.

 _"Thank you,"_ she muttered quietly. She closed her eyes trying to think of something else, other than their close proximity.

Then, she felt him kiss her on her forehead. She could feel his lips lingering on her forehead that her face was burning. She shuddered at that. What was he trying to imply?

It was too bad that the moment was spoiled when a flashing light had interrupted their intimate moment.

Yuzu glances to her bedside and that picture that Yoko Sakaki had taken of them was there. Yoko had taken a picture of their intimacy (and it was a good shot). She groans in despair.

 _There's no way, no way, no way_ , she told herself. She tries to deny what she felt for Yuya. There was no way that she was in love with him…right?

Looking back, she was there to support him when his father went missing, defending him from bullies who teased about his father. When she went missing and taken to another dimension, he had gone after her trying to bring her back home. All those tears she had shed for him when he got hurt in that duel with Jack Atlas; when she received his letter, promising her to go back home together.

And he did fulfill his promise. They came back home together.

Her feelings for Yuya grew each day and for the past eight years. She tried to push aside those romantic feelings she held for him, try to convince herself that every time they went out was not considered a date (Futoshi, Ayu and Tatsuya pointed it out several times), that she was not jealous when Mieru (who is 17) launched her arms around Yuya's neck proclaiming her love for him. She was definitely not in love with him (Uh, yeah right!).

She tried going out with other boys but some of them were missing something, like a special uniqueness. Yuzu cringes at the memory when she had accepted to date Shingo Sawatari. He was not a bad person, no quite the contrary. Shingo was a duelist like herself and Yuya and they shared many adventures during their teen years but his downfall was his conceit personality. Do not get her wrong, Shingo is very popular among the ladies (and he's really attractive), but she only saw him as a friend.

As time passed, she yearns to be with Yuya but she was so afraid that he might not see her in a romantic way as she saw him. That is why she denies her own feelings, trying to convince herself otherwise. There are some instances that she had caught him staring at her too long, or looking at her with tenderness, or when he held her hand a moment longer as his fingers lingered as she felt goosebumps on her arms. And there was that voice of his deep and velvety that she wanted to melt. How could she forget his scent that he left all over when he visits her? She was sure that he was wearing cologne when he was near her that she was intoxicated by his scent.

"No no no no!" she screams into her pillow, "I am not in love with Yuya. Yuya doesn't see me that way."

Tears began to roll down her cheeks Why was it so hard to hold down her feeling for him? What she needs was a distraction to make her forget about the Entermate Duelist. Wiping her tears, she grabs her keys and put on her leather jacket.

She was going out on a ride.

Starting up her D-Wheel, Yuzu knew exactly where to go. The wind felt nice against her skin. She forgot how exciting and thrilling it was to ride a D-Wheel and the adrenaline rush; she has not felt that since she was at the Synchro Dimension with Hyugo. She wonders what Rin and Hyugo were up to. Upon arriving at the bridge, she parks her D-Wheel and walks to the river.

To her surprise she did not expect to encounter with the one boy who was the cause of her problems. Yuya had her back to her as he watches the afternoon sunset.

It was beautiful afternoon sunset as the sky was colored in red, orange, yellow, pink, and purple contrasting the blue river. She could not deny that the sunset was giving Yuya an glow that her heart had dropped, her face flushed. _Oh my!_

She took a step back when she heard him speak.

"What brings you here?"

He did not even bother turning around to know that it was her. How did he know that she was even here with him? When he heard no response, he glances back and sees her standing there. Yuya looks so, so wonderful, she admits quietly.

"Yuzu," he croaks out. He coughs and clears his throat noticing how awful he might have sounded.

"Hi," Yuzu shyly greets him, walking towards him. Every step she took, her heart thumps lud, it was almost as if she was marching to him.

"So what bring you here, Yuzu?" he averts his gaze at her and returns his gaze back at the sun.

Yuzu follows his gaze, standing several feet away from him. "I just need some air."

She heard him chuckling. "Not the kind of answer I was expecting to hear, but that counts."

"Well," she leans her arms on the railing. "I just needed to think and reflect on certain things."

"Like what?"

"My career after graduating from college." It was the only thing she could say without letting him know the _real_ reason why she was here.

"Are you planning to join the Pro League?"

"I dunno. I mean, I got a scholarship to teach at LDS."

"What about your dad's institution? Do you plan to become a teacher at You Show?"

"Of course, without a doubt." She paused, "And what about you?"

"I plan to follow in my dad's footstep and be the best Duel Entertainer."

She giggles, "I'm sure you'll be good as your father, maybe even better."

"Yeah," he looks down at the clear, blue river before he faces Yuzu.

Yuzu felt this strange urge to look at him and when she did, she could see the sadness in his eyes, worry, even fear? She wonders what could be bothering Yuya. "Yuya are you okay?"

He gazes back at the sunset and pushes his goggles down. "I've been thinking, after we graduate from college and go our separate ways, I, I,"

"You?"

"I was thinking about the future," Yuya lifts off his goggles and stares at Yuzu's cerulean blue eyes with conviction. "Yuzu, who do you see yourself with in the future?"

He puts her on the spotlight and he refused to look elsewhere other than her, waiting to hear her response. Heat began to rise on her cheeks and her heart leaps even further south. _You_ , but she rather not say this out loud, afraid of how he might react. Instead, "I don't know. I haven't even thought about it yet."

"I see." He held his gaze on hers for a few more seconds until he looks down at the river.

If her mind was not playing tricks on her, she could swear that she saw that he was waiting for another answer. They were silent for a moment that Yuzu could not keep her heart from exploding from the embarrassment. She was sure that her cheeks were the exact same color of his bottom half of his hair.

"Yuzu."

"Mmm?"

"There is something I want to tell you." He finally admits, finally turning to her.

Yuzu was nervous! Surely he was not going to confess to her…right? _No!_ She told herself. Yuya does not see her in a romantic way! She tries to convince herself that he is her friend, her _best_ friend! Why could she not get this through her head?

"Yuzu," he began to speak, his voice trembles, "for the longest, I have seen you as a friend and you have been the best supporting friend that I could ever have but," he moves closer, grabbing her hands, "but I don't want us to be friends."

She began to shake, her eyes were beginning to blur. He did not want to be her friend? What did he mean by that? "You don't?" she asks quietly.

He shook his head. "I tried to deny what I felt for you but it's so hard when this feeling is eating me and," he was trying to get his words right, trying to not sound like a fool, "and it is hard to be just your friend when you are so much more than that, Yuzu. I value you so much."

Her breath was becoming short. It almost sounds like he was confessing to her. "Yuya."

He cups her face, "Yuzu, please don't cry," he thumbs away her teas. _Oh god,_ she felt so embarrassed. "Don't cry," he repeats, pulling her into his arms.

"I can't," she hiccups and leans in as she cries uncontrollably, "Yu-Yuya."

Yuya rubs her back, trying to calm her down, "I'm so sorry Yuzu for making you cry, but I didn't want to make it sound like I'm ending our friendship. I'm so sorry Yuzu."

She cries in his arms. She feels so stupid to be crying in front of him. She felt his arms circling around her waist that she did not feel him shaking and trembling.

He pulls away, wiping away more tears from her face that she notices some tears on his face. "I value our friendship Yuzu, but you are more than just a friend," he leans his head down, their forehead touching and his gaze never looking elsewhere other than her sad blue eyes. "You are more than just a friend Yuzu. You are a fighter. You are strong in your own way. You are beautiful in my eyes."

Her breath hitch at his last statement. Surely, he meant it, right? Her beautiful?

"There is no one else that I can see myself with, other than you," he whispers, "It's always been you."

"Yuya."

"I have fallen in love with you, Yuzu and no matter how much I try to deny it, my feelings for you grew e each and every day."

"Yuya," she hiccups, "I,"

"Shh," he places a finger over her lips, "Let me finish." She nods. "Do you know how hard it was to watch you go out with other boys, especially with Shingo? Do you know hard it was to keep my heart from dropping when you smile at me? Yuzu, I love you."

Yuzu felt like she could breathe again. It sounds more like a dream than a reality. Hearing his confession made her heart swell with emotion that she felt like crying once more. She just had to let him know, "Yuya, I lo—" her confession was cut off when he kissed her. Her eyes widen in shock to believe that this was really happening. Yuya was kissing her! She must be dreaming!

He pulls away as Yuzu groans in disappointment but that tingling sensation on her lips was there.

"I think I just did the craziest thing in my life."

She felt lightheaded. This was the real thing! Looking at him, she smiles, "This was not as crazy as when you chased after me to the Synchro Dimension." Now it was her time to let him know what she held all these years, "I love you." She tips toes to him and gives him a gentle kiss.

Red crosses his face as she pulls back.

"Yuzu," Yuya touched his lips, unable to believe that she reciprocating his feelings. He felt happy. Hearing her confession was like some heavy burden was lifted off his shoulders and he could finally breathe. He encircles his arms around her waist, lifting her up and spinning her, hearing her laugh; it was music to his ears.

Putting her back down, he stares at her crystalline blue eyes that he was sure that he would never ever get bored looking at them. "Took us long enough to confess, eh?"

"You think?" she flicks his forehead teasingly, "It was tortuous!"

"Tell me about it."

Yuzu smiles warmly at him. "What made you do this Yuya? I mean, I was afraid that if I confessed to you, our friendship would be ruined."

He stays pensive for a moment. "I just, I just decided to go forth and tell you what I felt. I did not want to see you with anyone else other than myself. I know that it is selfish to say this, but I realized that what I feel for you was different." He grabs her right hand and places it over his chest.

"What kind of different?" she asks. She could feel his heart thumping against her palm.

"When you smile at me, my stomach does this kind of flip flop and those eyes," he kisses her closed eyes, "I love how you always look at me. Yuzu, you know everything about me."

The red on her face grew, "Yuya, I, I don't even know what to say," she began to fluster like a school girl.

He laughs loving how her cheeks were tinting red. "It's okay Yuzu," he nuzzles against her hair, smelling the floral shampoo scent. He cups her face, his lips dangerously grazing her pink lips, "I'll say it again: I love you."

"I love you too."

He closed the distance between them and kissed. When they returned home, they announced to their family that they were officially a couple. Her father had cried of happiness for his little girl had finally gotten herself a boyfriend. Futoshi, Ayu and Tatsuya congratulated them ("Finally! You guys took too long to confess."). Yoko was proud that her son had found his happiness with Yuzu.

Yuzu was beyond happy that she no longer had to hide her feelings for Yuya when he shared those same feelings for her. Everything was right once more.

* * *

 _Omake_

"How about we plan our wedding?"

"Yuya!"


End file.
